There’s no doubt about it: electricity has changed our lives. That might sound like old news, but new uses for electricity continue to transform the human experience. Take electrotherapy as an example.
More and more medical professionals employ electro-therapy. Why? Because it gives them a way to provide their patients with a non-invasive, no-downtime way to alleviate pain, heal injuries, and more.
Electro-therapy can take many forms, like transcutaneous electrical neuromuscular stimulation (TENS) to target pain signals or neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to encourage muscular contraction. For now, though, let’s look at electrotherapy as a whole.
Who’s using electro-therapy
More doctors and physical therapists are turning to electrotherapy like TENS to help people in pain. With this option, they can send safe, comfortable electrical signals to the nerve fibers in the affected area. This breaks up the pain signals that would otherwise travel to your brain, causing you discomfort.
Plus, the treatment is quick, pain-free, and completely non-invasive. You don’t need any incisions or injections. Instead, the electrical current travels from electrodes through your skin into the area you want to treat. As it goes to work, you might feel a tingling sensation, but you shouldn’t experience any discomfort.
With so many upsides, it’s no surprise that everyone from medical professionals to athletes has turned to electric muscle stimulation.
Across the country, the majority of physical therapists have implemented electrotherapy like TENS at their offices. What’s more, those using it report being satisfied with the results it can deliver to their patients.
Similarly, doctors — who have been using electrotherapy for decades — continue to prescribe it to their patients. And trusted health organizations like The Arthritis Foundation® recommend it, too.
In fact, electrotherapy is gaining such widespread popularity that people are even working it into their gym routines.
The benefits of electrotherapy
Because electrotherapy provides a way to interact with your muscles and nerves, it can be helpful in a wide range of situations. Today, medical professionals recommend it to:
- Block pain signals
- Improve circulation
- Address inflammation
- Treat chronic pain, like back pain or pain from fibromyalgia
- Improve muscle function and build muscle (this makes it useful for everything from physical therapy for weak muscles to recovery protocol for athletes)
- Ease pain after surgery
- Improve joint mobility
- Treat slow-healing wounds
All told, if you’ve been looking for a way to address the discomfort you’ve been feeling, don’t hesitate to explore TENS and electric muscle stimulation. With this option, you get something you can try that doesn’t come with any discomfort or downtime.
You don’t need to schedule an appointment to get started, either. While your doctor or physical therapist might recommend electrotherapy, you don’t need a prescription. These devices are available over-the-counter. You can safely try EMS at home.
To get started, explore your options to find the right device to apply electrotherapy right where you need it. With at-home TENS and electric muscle stimulation, you get a way to bring medication-free pain relief to your home.